Chapter XXIII

_THE FIRST THREE MONTHS AFTER FLETCHER’S
RETURN TO MADELEY._

1781.

FLETCHER recommenced his ministry at Madeley on Sunday, May 27, 1781.[502] During his absence of four years and a-half, religion, in his parish, had not prospered. In a letter to his hospitable friend, Charles Greenwood, at Stoke Newington, he wrote:—

“Madeley, June 12, 1781. I stayed longer at Brislington than I
designed. Mr. Ireland was ill, and would nevertheless come hither with
me; so that I was obliged to stay till he was better. And, indeed, it
was well I did not come without him; for he has helped me to regulate
my outward affairs, which were in great confusion. Mr. Greaves leaves
me; and I will either leave Madeley, or have an assistant able to stir
among the people: for I had much rather be gone than stay here, to see
the dead bury their dead. A cloud is over my poor parish; but, alas!
it is not the luminous cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night.
Even the few remaining professors stared at me the other day, when I
preached to them on these words, ‘Ye shall receive the Holy Ghost; for
the promise is unto you.’ Well, the promise is unto _us_: if others
despise it, still let us believe and hope. Nothing enlarges the heart
and awakens the soul more than that believing, loving
expectation.”[503]

Footnote 502:

_Methodist Magazine_, 1811, p. 312.

Footnote 503:

Fletcher’s “Life,” by Wesley.

The following, addressed to Wesley, refers to the same subject, and also to other matters:—

“MADELEY, _June 6, 1781_.

“REV. AND DEAR SIR,—I rejoice to hear that your spiritual bow abides
in strength. I would have wished you joy about it since my arrival, if
I knew where a letter could overtake you.[504] I heartily thank you
for the directions you give me to hinder my bow, so far split, from
breaking quite. Now I must imitate your prudence, or the opportunity
of doing it will soon be lost for good.

“I would do something in the Lord’s vineyard, but I have not strength.
I can hardly, without over-doing myself, visit the sick of my parish.
I was better when I left Switzerland than I am now. I had a great pull
back, in venturing to preach in the fields, in the Cevennes, to about
two thousand French Protestants. I rode thirty miles to that place,
from Montpelier, on horseback, but was obliged to be brought back in a
carriage. And now that I am here, I can neither serve my church, nor
get it properly served. Mr. Greaves owns, the place is not fit for
him, nor he for it. He will go when I can get somebody to help me.
Could you spare me Brother Bayley?[507] It would be a charity. Unless
I can get a curate zealous enough to stir among the people, I will
give up the place: it would be little comfort to me to stay here to
see the dead bury the dead. I thank God, however, for resignation to
His will. As soon as I shall discern it clearly, I shall follow it;
for, I trust, I have learned in what state soever I am, therewith to
be content.

“What a blessing is Christ to the soul, and health to the body! When
you go to, or come from the Conference, be so good as to remember that
you have now a pilgrim’s house in the way from Shrewsbury to Broseley;
and do not climb our hills without baiting. At our first interview, I
shall ask your thoughts about a French work or two I have upon the
anvil; but which I fear I shall not have time to finish. Be that as it
will, God needs not the hand of Uzzah, nor my finger, to keep up His
ark.

“I read, with pleasure and edification, your _Arminian Magazine_.[506]
Your storehouse is inexhaustible. The Lord strengthen you to
_Nestor’s_ years, or rather to the useful length of St. John’s life!
It is worth living to serve the Church, and to teach Christians to
love one another.

“I am, rev. and dear Sir, your affectionate, though unprofitable
servant,

“J. FLETCHER.”[505]

Footnote 504:

The veteran evangelist was now visiting the Isle of Man, “east, south,
north, and west,” and said, “I was thoroughly convinced that we have
no such circuit as this, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland.”
(Wesley’s Journal.)

Footnote 505:

The Rev. Cornelius Bayley, at this time one of the Masters of Wesley’s
School at Kingswood. Cornelius Bailey was born near Whitchurch, in
Shropshire, about the year 1752. He was an excellent Hebrew scholar,
and published a Hebrew grammar, which procured him a doctor’s degree
from a foreign university. Afterwards, when he took the same degree,
D.D., at Cambridge, he delivered a Latin sermon, which was much
applauded. As will soon be seen, he became Fletcher’s curate. On
leaving Madeley, he went to Manchester, where he became the founder
and the minister of St. James’s Church. This is not the place to give
a detailed account of this remarkable man. Suffice it to say, he died,
in Manchester, on April 2, 1812, his last words being, “O my Saviour!
The Lord is with me!” His remains were interred in a vault of his own
church; more than forty clergymen attended his funeral; the church was
crowded, and more than a thousand of his friends had to stand outside.
The Rev. John Crosse, afterwards so well-known in Bradford, preached
the funeral sermon. (_Christian Observer_, 1812, p. 477.)

Footnote 506:

Wesley began to publish this magazine during Fletcher’s absence on the
continent.

Footnote 507:

_Arminian Magazine_, 1782, p. 48.

Wesley’s approaching Conference was to be held at Leeds, and to Joseph Benson, who had recently been married, Fletcher wrote as follows:—

“I am, at present, without an assistant here, but hope soon to have
Mr. Bayley, one of the masters of Kingswood School. If he come, I
shall be at liberty to go to Leeds, and I hope God will strengthen me
for the journey. A godly wife is a peculiar blessing from the Lord. I
wish you joy for such a loan. Possess it with godly fear and holy joy;
and the God who gave her you help you both to see your doubled piety
take root in the heart of the child that crowns your union. So prays,
my dear brother, your affectionate friend,

“J. FLETCHER.”[508]

Footnote 508:

Benson’s “Life of Fletcher.”

Meanwhile, Fletcher had begun a correspondence with a lady hitherto unknown to him; or rather she had begun a correspondence with him. Miss Ann Loxdale, daughter of Joseph Loxdale, Esq., of Shrewsbury, was now about twenty-six years of age. Two years before the date of her letter to Fletcher, she had been converted. In reply to her communication, he said:—

“MADELEY, _May 24, 1781_.

“DEAR MADAM,—I embrace the first opportunity of thanking my unknown
_friend_ for her kind Christian letter. As I believe you are sincere,
and mean what your pen has traced upon paper, I may rejoice over a
greater treasure than that of the Indies—I mean, the _treasure of a
Christian friend_; for nothing but Christianity could give you courage
to express any degree of friendship for so contemptible a neighbour. I
shall preach here next Sunday, please God. If you can, and if you are
not afraid of dining upon a bit of cold meat, come and dine with your
new and yet _old friend_, who, though he cannot converse long with his
friends, on account of his weakness, will find a quarter of an hour to
assure you, that, in the faith, hope, and love of the Gospel, he is,

“Madam, your obliged friend and obedient servant,
“J. FLETCHER.”[509]

Footnote 509:

_Methodist Magazine_, 1811, p.312.

There cannot be a doubt respecting Miss Loxdale’s ardent piety; but she was in danger of falling into some of the errors of the mystics. She had written to Wesley, asking his advice respecting the works of Madam Bourignon, which she had been reading. Wesley, in his reply, dated “June 10, 1781,” told her that Madam Bourignon’s “new and peculiar expressions” were “only shadows,” not “an excellence, but a capital defect.” Wesley continued,—

“As I apprehend your mind must be a little confused by reading those
uncommon treatises, I wish you would give another deliberate reading
to the ‘Plain Account of Christian Perfection.’ You may be assured
there is no religion under heaven higher or deeper than that which is
there described. I desire nothing, I will accept of nothing, but the
common faith and common salvation; and I want you to be only just such
a common Christian as Jenny Cooper was.”[510]

Footnote 510:

Wesley’s Works, vol. xiii., p. 121.

Meantime, Miss Loxdale and Fletcher had met and conversed with each other; for, in a long letter to her, dated twelve days after Wesley’s, he gave her what he considered suitable advice, and said, “I never doubted your sincerity, my dear friend; and can, without wavering, confess you _a member of my Lord, a child of my heavenly Father, and a fellow-heir of the kingdom of heaven_, purchased for penitent believers.”[511]

Footnote 511:

_Methodist Magazine_, 1811, p. 312.

This epistolary and _vivâ voce_ intercourse grew into a sincere friendship, but nothing more than that. Miss Loxdale became one of the most holy and devoted Methodists of the last century; and, in 1811, at the age of fifty-six, married the Rev. Dr. Coke. A year afterwards, she died at York, and was buried in Dr. Coke’s family vault at Brecon.[512]

Footnote 512:

Drew’s “Life of Coke,” p. 346.

Just at the time when Fletcher was writing his letters to Miss Loxdale, and giving her, most sincerely, the best advice he could, his heart was full of Miss Bosanquet, and, as will soon be seen, at the beginning of the month of June, he proposed to marry her. The reply was not unfavourable, and Fletcher at once decided to attend Wesley’s Conference at Leeds, in the neighbourhood of which Miss Bosanquet resided. The following letter, addressed to Wesley, announces this decision, and refers to the case of Miss Loxdale, and to an interesting incident in Switzerland:—

“MADELEY, _June 24, 1781_.

“REV. AND DEAR SIR,—As to Miss Loxdale, I believe her to be a simple,
holy follower of the Lord. Nothing throws _unscriptural_ mysticism
down like holding out the promise of the Father, and the fulness of
the Spirit, to be received _now_, _by faith_ in the two Promisers, the
_Father_ and the _Son_. Ah! what is the _penal fire_ of the mystics,
to the _burning love_ of the _Spirit_, revealing the glorious power of
the _Father_ and the _Son_, according to John xiv. 26, and filling us
with all the fulness of God? Plain Scripture is better than all mystic
refinements.

“When I was at Nyon, near Geneva, three ministers received the Word,
and preached the Truth. When persecution arose because of the Word,
the two pastors were afraid; but the curate of the first pastor, a
burgess of the town, stood by me. This Timothy opened his house, when
the pastors shut both their pulpits and houses; and I heard him preach
a discourse before I came away, worthy of _you_, Sir, upon the heights
and depths of holiness. He wrote an apology for me, which I sent to
the head of the persecuting Clergy, and so stopped the torrent of
wrath. He made observations upon the mischief done to Christianity by
bad Clergy, such as George Fox and you, Sir, would not disown. When I
told him of you and the Methodists, he expressed a great desire to
come to England, to hear you, to see the English brethren, and to
learn the English language, that he might read your works, and,
perhaps, translate some of them. He can have no living in his own
country, because he will not _swear to prosecute all who propagate
Arminian tenets_; which is more honest than many of the Clergy, many
of whom are _Arians_, _Socinians_, or _Deists_, and do not scruple to
take the _Calvinian Oaths_.

“I shall endeavour to wait upon you at Leeds, at the time of the
Conference: in the meantime, I am, Rev. and dear Sir, your obedient
Servant, and affectionate Son in the Gospel,

“JOHN FLETCHER.”[513]

Footnote 513:

_Arminian Magazine_, 1782, p. 49.

Another of Fletcher’s letters, belonging to this period, is too valuable to be omitted. His interview with Thomas Rankin, at Brislington, has been related. He now wrote to Rankin, as follows:—

“MADELEY, _June 25, 1781_.

“MY DEAR BROTHER,—I thank you for your kind letter to me. I found
myself of _one heart_ with you, both as a preacher and believer,
before I left Bristol, and I am glad you find freedom to speak to me
as your friend in Christ.

“By what you mention of your experience, I am confirmed in the
thought, 1. That it is often harder to keep in the way of faith and
light than to get into it. 2. That speculation and reasoning hinder us
to get into that way, and lead us out of it when we are in it. 3. The
only business of those who come to God, as a Redeemer or Sanctifier,
must be to feel their want of redemption and sanctifying ‘power from
on high,’ and to come for it by simple, cordial, working faith.
Easily, the heart gets into a false rest before our last enemy is
overcome. Hence arises a relapsing, in an imperceptible degree, into
indolence and carnal security; hence a dreaming that we are rich and
increased in goods.

“This is one of the causes of the declension you perceive among some
of the Methodists. Another is the _outward rest_ they have. Another
may be the judging of the greatness of the work by the numbers in
Society. Be the consequence what it will, those who see the evil
should honestly bear their testimony against it, first in their own
souls, next by their life, and thirdly by their plain and constant
reproofs and exhortations.

“The work of justification seems stopped, in some degree, because the
glory and necessity of the pardon of sins, to be _received_ and
_enjoyed now by faith_, is not pressed enough upon _sinners_; and the
need of _retaining it_ upon _believers_. The work of sanctification is
hindered, if I am not mistaken, by the same reason, and by holding out
the being _delivered from sin_ as the mark to be aimed at, instead of
being _rooted in Christ_, and _filled with the fulness of God_, and
with _power from on high_. The dispensation of the Spirit is
confounded with that of the Son, and the former not being held forth
clearly enough, formal and lukewarm believers in Jesus Christ suppose
they have the gift of the Holy Ghost. Hence the increase of _carnal_
professors, see Acts viii. 16. And hence so few _spiritual_ men.

“Let us pray, hope, love, believe for ourselves, and call for the
display of the Lord’s arm. My love to your dear fellow-labourer, Mr.
Pawson. Pray for your affectionate brother,

“J. FLETCHER.”[514]

Footnote 514:

Benson’s “Life of Fletcher.”

The sentiments expressed in this valuable letter were important a hundred years ago; and are far more important now. Methodists, and especially Methodist Preachers, ought to lay them seriously to heart. Holding them, Fletcher proceeded to the Methodist Conference of 1781, which began at Leeds on Tuesday, August 7, and concerning which Wesley writes as follows:—

“1781. Sunday, _August 5_. At the old church in Leeds, we had eighteen
clergymen, and about eleven hundred communicants. I preached there at
three; the church was thoroughly filled; and I believe most could
hear, while I explained the ‘new covenant’ which God has now made with
the Israel of God.

“Monday, 6th. I desired Mr. Fletcher, Dr. Coke, and four more of our
brethren, to meet every evening, that we might consult together on any
difficulty that occurred. On _Tuesday_ our Conference began, at which
were present about seventy preachers, whom I had severally invited to
come and assist me with their advice, in carrying on the great work of
God. _Wednesday_, 8th. I desired Mr. Fletcher to preach. I do not
wonder he should be so popular; not only because he preaches with all
his might, but because the power of God attends both his preaching and
prayer. On _Monday_ and _Tuesday_ (August 13 and 14) we finished the
remaining business of the Conference, and ended it with solemn prayer
and thanksgiving.”[515]

Footnote 515:

Wesley’s Journal.

Notwithstanding the evils even then existing, and which were lamented by Fletcher in the foregoing letter, these were glorious days, and their conferences memorable “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” Mr. Gorham, of St. Neots, was at the Conference of 1781, and wrote:—

“Mr. Fletcher preached at five in the morning, from 2 Peter i. 4.
Notwithstanding the earliness of the hour, at least two thousand
persons were present, who appeared to listen to him with the deepest
attention.”

Joseph Pescod, one of Wesley’s itinerant preachers, in a letter to his wife, remarked:—

“I arrived at Leeds on Saturday evening; and on Sunday morning, at
five o’clock, I had the happiness to hear that venerable servant of
God, Mr. Fletcher. Never did I see any man more like what I suppose
the ancient Apostles to have been. His text was 2 Peter i. 4: ‘Whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.’ He spoke
particularly of the three great promises of God to man. The leading
promise of the Old Testament, he remarked, was, ‘The seed of the woman
shall bruise the serpent’s head.’ On this promise, he observed, the
saints lived four thousand years, and were saved through the Messiah
to come. The other two, he said, were New Testament promises. First,
the promise of the Holy Ghost, whom our Lord told His disciples He
would send after His ascension. The dispensation of the Spirit is to
renew us after the image of God; which implies light, and power, and
love. The third promise, on which he dwelt, was that of the
resurrection of the body. I think I never heard a sermon to be
compared with it. I wish I could tell you every word. I had, also, the
happiness to receive from his hand the bread in the sacrament of the
Lord’s Supper. The ordinance was administered in the old church, by
Mr. Wesley, Mr. Fletcher, and nine other clergymen. Mr. Wesley
preached in the afternoon, in the church, from Hebrews viii.
10–12.”[516]

Footnote 516:

_Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_, 1829, p. 528.

Wesley’s Conference finished its business on August 14; but Fletcher, the happy guest of Miss Bosanquet, at Cross Hall, continued in the neighbourhood about three weeks longer, “preaching,” says his delighted hostess, “in different places, with much power.”[517] A record of one of the meetings that Fletcher attended fortunately exists, and is here given almost without abridgment.

Footnote 517:

Moore’s “Life of Mrs. Fletcher,” p. 141.

James Rogers was, at this time, stationed at Sheffield; but, no doubt, both he and his far-famed wife, “Hester Ann,” attended the Conference at Leeds. After its sittings were ended, she, like Fletcher, still remained. On August 24, Fletcher came with Miss Bosanquet, and Mrs. Crosby, to dine at Mr. Smith’s, in Park Row, and to meet the Select Society. Mrs. Rogers writes:—

“When I entered the room, where they were assembled, the heavenly man
was giving out the following verses, with such animation as I have
seldom witnessed—

“‘Near us, assisting Jesus, stand;
Give us the op’ning heavens to see;
Thee to behold at God’s right hand,
And yield our parting souls to Thee.

“‘My Father, O my Father, hear,
And send the fiery chariot down;
Let Israel’s flaming steeds appear,
And whirl us to the starry crown.

“‘We, we would die for Jesus too;
Through tortures, fires, and seas of blood,
All triumphantly break through,
And plunge into the depths of God.’

“After this, Mr. Fletcher poured out his full soul in prayer to God.
Indeed, his every breath seemed to be prayer, or praise, or spiritual
instruction; and every word that fell from his lips appeared to be
accompanied by unction from above.

“After dinner, I took an opportunity to beg him to explain an
expression he had used in a letter to Miss Loxdale;[518] namely, that,
on all who are renewed in love, God bestows the gift of prophecy. He
called for the Bible; then read and explained Acts ii.; observing,
that, to prophesy in the sense _he_ meant, was, to magnify God with
the _new heart_ of love, and the _new tongue_ of praise, as they did,
who, on the day of Pentecost, were filled with the Holy Ghost. He
insisted that believers now are called upon to prove the same
baptismal fire; that the day of Pentecost was the opening of the
dispensation of the Spirit,—the great promise of the Father; and that
the _latter day glory_, which he believed was near at hand, should far
exceed the first effusion of the Spirit. Seeing then that they, on the
day of Pentecost, bore witness to the grace of our Lord, so should
_we_; and, like them, spread the flame of love.

“After singing a hymn, he cried, ‘O to be filled with the Holy Ghost!
I want to be filled! O, my friends, let us wrestle for a more abundant
outpouring of the Spirit!’ To me, he said, ‘Come, my sister, will
_you_ covenant with me this day, to pray for _the fulness of the
Spirit_? Will _you_ be a witness for Jesus?’ I answered, with flowing
tears, ‘In the strength of Jesus I will.’ He cried, ‘Glory, glory be
to God! Lord, strengthen Thy handmaid to keep this covenant, even unto
death!’

“He then said, ‘My dear brethren and sisters, God is here! I feel Him
in this place; but I would hide my face in the dust, because I have
been ashamed to declare what He has done for _me_. For many years, I
have grieved His Spirit; I am deeply humbled; and He has again
restored my soul.’ Last Wednesday evening, He spoke to me by these
words, ‘_Reckon yourselves, therefore, to be dead indeed unto sin; but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord._’ I obeyed the voice of
God: I now obey it; and tell you all, to the praise of His love,—_I am
freed from sin._ Yes, I rejoice to declare it, and to be a witness to
the glory of His grace, that _I am dead unto sin, and alive unto God,
through Jesus Christ_, who is my Lord and King! I received this
blessing four or five times before; but I lost it, by not observing
the order of God; who has told us, _With the heart man believeth unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation._
But the enemy offered his bait, under various colours, to keep me from
a public declaration of what God had wrought.’

“‘When I first received this grace, Satan bid me wait awhile, till I
saw more of the _fruits_: I resolved to do so; but I soon began to
doubt of the _witness_, which, before, I had felt in my heart; and, in
a little time, I was sensible I had lost both. A second time, after
receiving this salvation, I was kept from being a witness for my Lord,
by the suggestion, ‘Thou art a public character—the eyes of _all_ are
upon thee—and if, as before, by _any_ means thou lose the blessing, it
will be a dishonour to the doctrine of _heart-holiness_.’ I held my
peace, and again forfeited the gift of God. At another time, I was
prevailed upon to hide it, by reasoning, ‘How few, even of the
_children of God_, will receive this testimony; many of them supposing
every transgression of the Adamic law is sin; and, therefore, if I
profess to be _free_ from sin, _all_ these will give my profession the
lie; because I am _not_ free in _their_ sense: I am not free from
ignorance, mistakes, and various infirmities; I will, therefore, enjoy
what God has wrought in me; but I will not say, _I am perfect in
love._ Alas! I soon found again, _He that hideth his Lord’s talent,
and improveth it not, from that unprofitable servant shall be taken
away even that he hath._

“‘Now, my brethren, you see my folly. I have confessed it in your
presence; and _now_ I resolve before you all to confess my Master. I
will confess Him to all the world. And I declare unto you, in the
presence of God, the Holy Trinity, I am now _dead indeed unto sin_. I
do not say, _I am crucified with Christ_, because some of our
well-meaning brethren say, by _this_ can only be meant _a gradual
dying_; but I profess unto you, _I am dead unto sin, and alive unto
God_: and, remember, all this is _through Jesus Christ our Lord_. _He_
is my Prophet, Priest, and King—my indwelling Holiness—my _all in
all_. I wait for the fulfilment of that prayer, _That they all may be
one, as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be
one in us: and that they may be one, even as we are one._ O for that
pure baptismal flame! O for the fulness of the dispensation of the
Holy Ghost! Pray, pray, pray for this! This shall make us all of one
heart, and of one soul. Pray for _gifts_—for the gift of utterance;
and confess your royal Master. A man without gifts is like a king in
disguise: he appears as a subject only. You are _kings and priests
unto God_! Put on, therefore, your robes, and wear on your _garter,
holiness to the Lord_.’

“A few days after this, I heard Mr. Fletcher preach upon the same
subject; inviting all, who felt their need of full redemption, to
believe _now_ for this great salvation. He observed, ‘As when you
reckon with your creditor, or with your host, and, as when you have
paid all, you reckon yourselves free, so now reckon with God. _Jesus_
has paid all: He has paid for _thee_!—has purchased _thy pardon_ and
_holiness_; therefore, it is now God’s command, _Reckon thyself dead
indeed unto sin_; and thou art alive unto God from this hour! O,
begin, begin to reckon now! Fear not: believe, believe, believe! and
continue to believe every moment! So shalt thou continue _free_; for
it is retained, as it is received, by _faith alone_. And, whosoever
thou art that perseveringly believeth, it will be as fire in thy
bosom, and constrain thee to confess with thy mouth _thy Lord and
King, Jesus_. And, in spreading the sacred flame of love, thou shalt
be saved to the uttermost.’

“He also dwelt largely on those words, ‘Where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound.’ He asked, ‘How did sin abound? Had it not
overpowered your whole soul? Were not all your passions, tempers,
propensities, and affections, inordinate and evil? Did not pride,
anger, self-will, and unbelief, all reign over you? And, when the
Spirit of God strove with you, did you not repel all His convictions,
and put Him far from you? Well, my brethren, ye were _then_ the
servants of sin, and were free from righteousness; but now, being made
free from sin, ye become servants to God; and holiness shall
overspread your whole soul, so that all your tempers and passions
shall be henceforth regulated and governed by Him who now sitteth upon
the throne of your heart, making all things new. As you once resisted
the Holy Spirit, so now you shall have power to resist all the subtle
frauds or fierce attacks of Satan.’

“Mr. Fletcher then, with lifted hands, cried, ‘Who will thus be saved?
Who will believe the report? You are only in an improper sense called
believers who reject this. Who is a believer? One who believes a few
things which his God has spoken? Nay, but one who believes all that
ever proceeded out of His mouth. Here then is the word of the Lord:
_As sin abounded, grace shall much more abound_! As no _good thing_
was in you by nature, so now _no evil_ thing shall remain. Do you
believe this? Or are you a _half_ believer only? Come! Jesus is
offered to thee as a _perfect Saviour_. Take Him, and He will make
thee a _perfect saint_. O ye _half_ believers, will you still plead
for the murderers of your Lord? Which of these will you hide as a
serpent in your bosom? Shall it be anger, pride, self-will, or
_accursed_ unbelief? O be no longer befooled! Bring these enemies to
thy Lord, and let Him slay them.’”[519]

Footnote 518:

The letter already referred to, and dated June 22, 1781. See it in
_Methodist Magazine_, 1811, p. 312.

Footnote 519:

Dr. Coke’s funeral sermon on the death of Mrs. H. A. Rogers, 1795; and
“Experience and Letters of Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers.”

Mrs. Rogers was not a shorthand writer. She wrote from memory; and though what she relates in the foregoing extracts is, no doubt, _substantially_ correct, yet Fletcher must not be held accountable for _every word_ she uses. The narrative, however, is very valuable, because it exhibits Fletcher at a most important epoch of his life, and exhibits him in his free-and-easy religious dishabille among his friends. Wesley says:—

“There is a peculiar difficulty in giving a full account of either the
life or character of Mr. Fletcher, because we have scarce any light
from himself. He was upon all occasions very uncommonly reserved in
speaking of himself, whether in writing or conversation. He hardly
ever said anything concerning himself, unless it slipped from him
unawares. And, among the great number of papers which he has left,
there is scarce a page (except the account of his conversion to God),
relative either to his own inward experience, or the transactions of
his life. So that the most of the information we have is gathered up,
either from short hints scattered up and down in his letters, from
what he had occasionally dropped among his friends, or from what one
and another remembered concerning him.

“This defect was indeed, in some measure, supplied by the entire
intimacy which subsisted between him and Mrs. Fletcher. He did not
willingly, much less designedly, conceal anything from her. They had
no secrets with regard to each other, but had indeed one house, one
purse, and one heart. Before her, it was his invariable rule to _think
aloud_; always to open the window in his breast. And to this we are
indebted for the knowledge of many particulars which must otherwise
have been buried in oblivion.”[520]

Footnote 520:

Wesley’s “Life of Fletcher.”

No doubt this statement is perfectly accurate. Fletcher, like Wesley himself, was never a talkative religious professor; and the outpourings of his heart, related by Hester Ann Rogers, may be regarded as exceptional.

Nothing more need be added to the present chapter except the incident that, both in going to Leeds and returning to Madeley, Fletcher preached at Sheffield, where the husband of Hester Ann Rogers was at that time Wesley’s “Assistant.” He was the guest of Mr. Thomas Holy. The following is taken from an unpublished memoir of Mr. Holy, written by the late Rev. James Everett:—

“The sainted Fletcher was twice an inmate of Mr. Holy’s house. This
extraordinary man preached twice in Norfolk Street chapel, on going to
and returning from the Conference at Leeds, in 1781. One of of his
texts was, ‘The kingdom of God is within you;’ and the other, ‘Behold,
now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’ On
both occasions, the chapel was crowded, and several clergymen were
present. When he was introduced to Mr. Holy, his salutation was,
‘Peace be to thee, my brother;’ and, on crossing Mr. Holy’s threshold,
he said, ‘Peace be to this house.’ Mrs. Brammah, the widow of an old
itinerant preacher, and one of Mr. Holy’s pensioners, was present, and
observed that Mr. Fletcher frequently repeated the latter text, as if
desirous to impress the company with its importance and its
blessedness. ‘Mr. Fletcher’s conversation,’ remarked Mr. Holy, ‘was
always instructive and impressive; and I felt while I was with him as
if I were in the presence of a superior being.’ During his stay in
Sheffield, Mr. Fletcher bathed every morning in a river, about half a
mile distant from Mr. Holy’s residence. His host always accompanied
him, and was much struck with his excellent swimming.”

This is a trivial matter, but trifles concerning “mighty men, men of renown,” are worth preserving.

A journey from Madeley to Leeds, a hundred years ago, was a somewhat serious affair. In an unpublished letter, addressed to Mr. Ireland, Fletcher tells his friend that the journey occupied two days and a half, and that his new saddle was so hard that, to save himself from suffering, he was obliged to put the hair-skins, used for the protection of his chest, into his “breeches.” In the same letter, he gives an account of the suicide of his “atheistical nephew;” and concludes as follows:—

“If Mr. Romaine be still with you, please to remember me in much love
to him. I went yesterday to Salop, saw Mr. De Courcy,[521] and invited
Mr. Rowland Hill to preach here to cement love.”

Footnote 521:

At that time the incumbent of the parish of St. Alkmond, Shrewsbury.
(“Life of Rev. R. Hill,” by Sidney, p. 137.)